Recap: From KOTD, Yoshi G. versus Cheyraq turns out to be an altogether fierce, competitive and dope 3-rounder that certainly kept the crowd buzzed throughout. Yoshi with her salacious and unapologetic ‘thot bars’, solid wordplay, gritty punchlines and hitting personals kept it ‘G’ for all 3 rounds. While the underrated Cheyraq flexed her skills with a bunch of hardbody punches, wicked/witty personals and hitting trap talk. And while Yoshi came out with a banging round 1, the more haymaker-lit Cheyraq would take the opener. The latter two rounds, however, would be a different story. As while Cheyraq kept it close with her fiery punches, the Massachusetts battler would succumb to not only some challanges with her flow, but also an opponent who stayed more consistently-lit in both rounds 2 and 3 to come back and earn the win.
Verdict: Yoshi G (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Yoshi G – “I’m really lit, he gonna pull up gimme some…dick…head on some Philly shit!”
Recap: Plenty of gritty punches, fiery schemes and well-induced mayhem in this competitive 1-rounder from GOTG between O-Red and Cincinnati, OH, up-n-comer Marqo Mazii. But a downward turn on bar effiency by Mazii (who also came with some solid personals) towards the end of his round and a slightly more haymaker-lit Red also scoring with an abundance of fire gun bars, boastful barbs and violent-themed wordplay, earns the Jersey vet the win.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 1-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “Do you actually believe what you rapping could have O ducking?, exactly my nigga you have no substance, your bars be lightly handcrafted…like shadow-puppets!”
Recap: From ThirtyTwo Barz, now that might be a first: a battler singing to begin his round. Nonetheless, despite the aforementioned harmonies, in this competitive 1-rounder, BoogieFromDa4 manages to deliver a pretty solid turn laced with a bunch of piercing gun bars and other mayhem-lit punches. However, it’s a slightly more versatile and steadily explosive Swamp, who with an intense round of witty personals, wicked punchlines and steely street bars, earns the win.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “I didn’t come here to dance Boogie, but I will cut a rug!”
Recap: From KOTD, in what was a gritty, aggresssive at times and competitive punch-fest, with the help of some fly name flips/schemes, a couple of solid rebuttals, piercing personals/gun bars and a festive parlay when it came to storytelling, an also steadier-hitting (esp. in round 2) Danny Myers does enough to take the first two rounds of this 3-rounder for the win before opponent Elijah Strait got back on his grind, after a mediocre 2nd, to out-punch Danny in the 3rd and avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Danny Myers (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Danny Myers – “I smoek rappers, the Glock’s gonna touch ya, I got shots for this fucker, we hid bodies where nigga’s be parking at, it’s lot to discover!”
Recap: From KOTD, I’m guessing that after forgetting most of his bars in round two and freestyling the rest of his way through, in what turned out to be a killer final round, Marv Won might have combined lines from his second round into his 3rd. But hey, I could be wrong. Either way, after dazzling with a gang of hard street lines, potent battle vet darts and fiery braggart raps to handily take round 1 from a suprisingly long-winded and pretty basic Geechi Gotti, the Detroit vet gets obligerated in round 2 thanks in part to the aforementioned freestyling, but mostly due to a Gotti who came back and got on one with a boatload of stinging punches and hardbody personals that excellently challanged his opponent’s “legend” status. Tied going into the 3rd, the final round would be a mostly one-sided affair what with Gotti reverting back to mostly pedestrian bars when he wasn’t just getting by with soldi off-the-dome heat while witnessing Marv Won get back on track with a blistering round packed with a bunch of fire punches, witty barbs and righteous zingers that earned him the win.
Verdict: Marv Won (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Marv Won – “Marcus, in all your rounds you made nigga’s dissappear, that’s a parlor trick, plus there’s rumors going around that you ain’t Cripping right ‘cuz…and I started it!”
Recap: In a gritty 3-rounder brought to you by The Battle Academy and littered with plenty of flashy gun bars, braggadocious darts, witty barbs/personals and mayhem-lit punches by both battlers, with the addition of some gritty trap talk and solid name flips, a more efficient overall and less filler-prone Shotgun Suge manages to edge all 3 rounds and get the win over Shankk Prezzy.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “I do real estate deals in Philly, I’ll turn ya mama’s crib into a trap house!”
Recap: A bunch of sturdy 4-bar set-up’punchlines, rich similes and fly, assorted name flips allowed Real Sikh to edge round 1 of this URL “Bars & Politics” against Rum Nitty. And then it went all downhill from there. As while Sikh continued to deliver a solid punch game throughout, way too much filler and choice at righteous darts that weren’t always on the up-n-up kept the Jersey battler from staying close to a Nitty on his A-game when it came to steely gun bars, stinging punches and potent name flips/personals in the latter two rounds, which in turn gave the more efficient Rum the 2nd and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “You better get down fast, you ain’t gotta wait for ya boy, I’m straight to the point like an inbound pass!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from Next Level Battle League, Swamp uses a bunch of flexing gun bars, some fiery punchlines and a plethora of mocking/witty personals to handily beat a solid and gritty, but not nearly as substantive effort from fellow South Carolina battler Cino Savvy.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Swamp – “I refuse to OD off the perks of battle rap for all of my Rich homies, but I will die on this stage doing what I love like Fatman Scoop!”
Recap: Even with a rarely seen/slip-up prone 2nd round that he chalked up to having written his rounds that same morning, Rum Nitty finesses with enough sturdy gun bars, stifling wordplay/name flips and piercing punchlines to take the 1st and 3rd rounds and get the win here over an earnest and gritty, but mostly pedestrian Quis in this 3-rounder from Rooftop Newz TV.
Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “Fans asking if I’m gonna come in here and check Mark, I said you got it right!”
Recap: From URL’s “Bars Over Politics” card, unfazed by his opponent’s bullish darts, steely gun bars and sometimes over-the-top performance bars, a more steady-hitting Fonz, via a gang of hardbody punchlines/name flips, witty barbs, salacious personals, mean 4-bar zingers and other violence-themed lines edges round 1 and (thanks in part to Ms. Hustle delivering an up-n-down turn) handily takes the middle round for the win in this fiery 3-rounder. To her credit, in what would turn out to be her best round all the while scoring with a bunch of sturdy ‘Landlord’ flips/metaphors, some solid similes and more blazing punches, it’s a still aggressive and turned up Ms. Hustle who would easily take the 3rd round from a lackadaisical turn by Fonz to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Fonz – “What you think posting a nigga hand with a drink gonna prove?, why would a nigaga put a ring on you? you know what your problem is? you a Cabbage Patch doll ‘cuz you hard-headed and your cheeks don’t move!”
Recap: Fire battle from URL’s “Bars Over Politics” card sees Jerry Wess and T-Top got at it for 3 highly competitive rounds. A real ‘road game’ for Wess when you consider that the bout took place in Top’s home state of Narth Carolina, but the Brooklyn, NY, emcee wouldn’t be rattled. The EFB member utilizing a steady bag of salacious personals, righteous darts, piercing set-up/punchlines and hard gun bars to keep things close. While Top gave the crowd their money’s worth with a gritty barrage of fierce gun bars, steely punches,/wordplay some dope rebuttals, hitting trap talk and witty/flexing personals fo his own. And while his opponent more than held his own throughout, a consistently superb and haymaker-lit round 1 (i.e. classic) from The Bear would earn him the opener, before the slightly more efficient and vefrsatile Top would also edge round 2 for the win. A crazy 3rd from Jerry with a fire rebuttal towards the end would allow Wess to beat back a top-notch, but not as sturdy final round from Top and avoid the shutout.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Top – “So if ya make the wrong move, you get shot in ya shit, you’ll meet ya favaorite battle rappers nigga…Hollow and Clips!
Recap: From Manslaughter Battle League, mixing in some sharp freestyle/rebuttals, a bunch of witty barbs/personals, fierce schemes and fire punchlines, a slightly more haymaker-lit Charlie Clips (whose been battling quite a bit lately) manages to edge a gritty punching, street bar-spicy and for the most part dope showing by Infared Tha General in this close 1-rounder.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “Nigga brought your bitch up to my crib, I didn’t even know the ho there, New York Knicks, I woke up to the Cat out of nowhere!”
Recap: From The Battle Academy, it’s just another day at the office for O’Red. The Jersey vet utilizing a bunch of fiery gun bars, some wicked set-up/punchlines, fierce name flips and prolific wordplay to handily take all 3 rounds from a street tales dishing and gun bar heavy, but mostly so-so K. Walker.
Verdict: O-Red (W) 3-0
Favorite line: O-Red – “I’ll leave this Walker bitch down, and if his shorty talking like I won’t walk a bitch down?, I’ll put Walker bitch down and then giev away the ratchet like the Pop’s at the wedding after he walk a bitch down!”
Recap: From Black Ice Cartel Battle League, getting super creative via some wicked wordplay while also scoring with a boatload of mocking personals, searing set-up/punchlines, cadence-switching colloquialisms, witty/boastful barbs and stinging anecdotes/rebuttals, up against a mediocre A. Ward who had some hitting punches here and there, but overall was too mired in a bunch of filler, subpar punches and weak personals, Hollow Da Don once again shows that there’s (esp. during sublime round 1) levels to this shit on his way to way to an easy 30.
Verdict: Hollow Da Don (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Hollow Da Don – “Make his wish he didn’t play, when the lead getting raised, that’s a dead giveaway!”
Recap: From Gates of the Garden, don’t know if it’ll ever get any easier than this for Nu Jerzey Twork. The former Goonie and NWX member effortlessly utilizing a boatload of blazing gun bars, solid name flips, mayhem-lit punchlines, some fiery rebuttals and just to prove how not pressed for comp he was, even allowing a 2-minute tag-in during his round 3 and still scoring a 30 over a gritty, but consistently subpar Black Aladdin.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “Nigga’s really think I’m playing, but I’m not playing, i could show you better than I could tell you…that’s sign language!”
Recap: From GOTG, against the abstract, sometimes gun bar-lit and gritty polemics of 45th Fokus, veteran battler JC takes advantage of his opponent’s soldi, but elongated turn and uses a rugged mix of wily name flips, flippant personals, boastful barbs and piercing mayhem-lit punchlines in a much more condensed turn to earn the win.
Verdict: JC (W) 1-0
Favorite line: JC – “We don’t like leaving a question, I’m a make sure his whole tean get the message, half his body in the casket, won’t even be full piece when he resting!”
Recap: Another fine effort from Brooklyn, NY emcee Mr. Mann, who like he did in a recent 1-rounder against Tay Roc, held his own here with an aggressive style littered with brash, abtract raps and some hard-hitting punches. However, against a Rum Nitty making his debut on Gates of the Garden, the EFB battler more than impressed, utilizing a boatload of fiery gun bars, solid name flips, brazen punchlines and steely wordplay during a fittingly condensed turn to get the win in this competitive one-rounder.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “I coudl send real life shooters at you, you better get alert, my killers work, they post up chilling, right where you hang Mann [Hangman] till you get the word!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from War Town Battles, a gritty, dope and street talk-laced round by Clone gets edged by a Charlie Clips who simply put was on one this battle. The Harlem, NY, battle vet using a steady and versatile mix of fire name flips, head-ringing set-up/punchlines, fierce schemes, righteous personals and wicked freestyles/rebuttals to earn the win.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “Damn, Twork dropped out on you at the last minute, left you with a big bill, I guess Jerusalem don’t fuck with him…but now you know who is real!”
Recap: From Body Bag Battle League, a warning to all viewers: one could get hot just watching this battle–that’s how much sweat seemed to be piling up in the room. Nonetheless, a pretty solid, gritty and punch-lit at times effort by One Take McGuyver gets beat back by a Chef Trez on one with a boatload of fiery gun bars, piercing personals/punchlines, hard-hitting/mayhem-lit street bars, dizzying gang talk and sizzling rebuttals/freestyles in a 1-rounder that should’ve came with some air conditioning.
Verdict: Chef Trez (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chef Trez – “You not legit, I was at them dice games where that bread at, I seen Unc serve crackheads and turn around and yell ‘Head crack’!”
Recap: To this day I still don’t get why Charron feels the need to write such longwinded rounds. He’s long been one of the top battle rappers in the game so there’s no need to justify his pen game. And with the way he formulates his bars, what with so many ill set-ups before landing the haymaker, his rounds would be more tight and efficient without the extra blather that usually takes on repetitive themes he’s already spouted. Still, here against a 40 B.A.R.R.S. making her first appearance on KOTD, a fire, witty, personal and punch-lit opening round by both (call it debatable) battlers gets tunred on its head in the 2nd. As after an elongated, but haymaker-lit round that took on everything from hard-hitting personals to boastful barbs to sizzling name flips to piercing 4-bar set-up/punchlines, a minute into her round 40 chokes to give Charron the round. And while 40 would back on her grind with a boatload of gritty punches that made for a pretty soild 3rd, it’s the slightly more haymaker-lit, condensed and versatile/scheme/righteous heavy Charron who edges the final round to gain the win.
Verdict: Charron (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Charron – “You’re the only bitch we get mad at for choking!”
Recap: From URL’s Summer Madness 14/Kings vs. Queens card, former members of NWX, O’fficial and T-Top face off for 3 rounds and outside of a debatable (thanks in part to O’s two solid rebuttals at the start of her turn) round 2 it’s all Top. The Bear utilizing a bunch of witty (the irony of both battlers dishing a bunch of fat jokes towards each other was not lost here) personals, gritty punchines/trap talk, forthright storytelling bars, potent (in this case New Orleans) hometown bars and pure, mayhem-lit darts to handily take both the opening and final round’s for the win over an opponent who overall displayed little versatility with her raps or originality with her themes when she wasn’t spitting way too many pedestrian bars.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Top – “And you know with me it’s all love, but see my knife got a grudge, and its something we gotta hold against you, drove it in you, I’m the only one who spin with a blade…I’m Yoshimitsu!”
Recap: From The Trenches in Philly, it’s all Eazy The Block Captain in this one. The former Gun Titles member taking advantage of a hitting at times, but overall very mid, surprisingly flow-challenged and apparently overbooked Ill Will with a trio of sublime rounds that displayed not only TBC’s level of veracity, but his versatility as well. Eazy hitting on all cylinders when it came to adeptly rebuttling the long-drawn out off-the-stage drama surrounding him and Chrome 23 chieftess Remy Ma, while also delivering a shitload of dizzying trap talk, fiery/righteous personals, stinging name flips, hard-hitting struggle raps and all-too gritty punchlines to handily earn a rare 30 over Will.
Verdict: Eazy The Block Captain (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Eazy The Block Captain – “I could tell y’all how my life changed, I don’t know if my mom took a percocet when she was pregnant, but I was made to fight pain!”
Recap: In rounds 1 and 2 of this URL Summer Madness: Kings vs. Queens battle, John John Da Don takes advantage of an aggressive and gun bar/punch-solid, but mostly pedestrian Coffee Brown with a boatload of flippant 4-bar set-up/punchlines, fiery schemes and a gang of hard-hitting personals to win the bout. Despite lacking much fervor as well as a steady punch game in the earlier rounds, Coffee would come back with a blistering, personal-lit 3rd that handily beat what was a solid nonetheless, but still JJDD’s worst round to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: John John Da Don (W) 2-1
Favorite line: John John Da Don – “I could make it dark Coffee, have someone I know cream her!”
Recap: From URL’s Summer Madness/Kings vs. Queens card, in a tale of relentless aggression and fierce competition, 40 B.A.R.R.S.’ fiery, steady and effervescent punch game helps her get the win here versus Nu Jerzey Twork. The Boston femcee’s mocking personals and potent wordplay also helping secure her victory in rounds 1 and 3 of this 3-round battle. All this despite 40 struggling with her flow and cutting her 2nd round short all the while withstanding a scintillating, witty, bullish and personal-drenched turn there by Twork that got him the round convincingly. However, just when you thought things had shifted back in Twork’s favor, 40 was able to get back on her round 1 grind and with another dope punchfest, handily take the deciding 3rd with the assistance of a lackadaisical showing from Nu Jerooz.
Verdict: 40 B.A.R.R.S. (W) 2-1
Favorite line: 40 B.A.R.R.S. – “It’s clear my peer got more experience in he street, I’m not looking for gunfight, but I’m outside squatting ready to squeeze on this fleece, it’s a drunk night, I’m pissed off!”
Recap: From Streets Soprano/Gen X Ent., a 1-round rematch between Charlie Clips and T-Top features plenty of mean set-up/punchlines, witty personals and gritty darts from both battlers, But after a pretty solid (tho a little flow challanged) run by T-Top, it’s Clips who ends up standing out more. The Harlem vet adding a gang of hilarious name flips and formidable freestyles to the mix during a more condensed turn to earn the win.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “A grown man naming himself Top is disgusting, my bro hit my phone and said this nigga Top fire, I hung up, no discussion!”
Recap: “1-0 nigga’s” is funny as hell. That said, in this ‘Queens vs. Kings’/Summer Madness matchup from URL, Rum Nitty and Viixen The Assassin both give it all and put on superbly for 3 rounds. Nitty with his usual palette of exquisite set-up/punchlines, killer wordplay, heated gun bars, mean name flips and even some solid/witty personals, showed his chops throughout. While when Viixen wasn’t promoting her OnlyFans account, the veteran Milwaukee battler proved she’s a problem on the stage with a gang of wicked gun bars, piercing punchlines, aggressive/flexing darts and cadence-switching/mocking personals. Competitive throughout, this battle would mostly come down to who was more efficient with their haymakers. And despite a crazy 3rd round from Viixen to top off two dope turns beforehand, it’s the more condensed and slightly more versatile Nitty who combats his more often elongated opponent and takes (call round 1 debatable) rounds 2 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Rum Nitty (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rum Nitty – “You soft but you act brolic, I’ll do the Shotgun Suge special move…on ya back pockets!”
Recap: From Bar4bar Camp, plenty of mayhem-lit darts, bullish bars and even some roundhouse (“…there’s always that one sock you don’t see”) haymakers dropped by Kashmoney. But way too many pedestrian lines from the Cleveland battler coupled with a Ms. Hustle on ten throughout with a gang of fire name flips, raucous punchlines and witty personals, allows the Queen Villain to handily take this 1-rounder.
Verdict: Ms. Hustle (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ms. Hustle – “You a real lame, URL has app battles, we never see your name, we don’t never get a Cash App notifocation…until we hear the change!”
Recap: Yunno, if you’re a new battle league trying to make a name for yourself, you might want to find a host who can actually conduct and pay attention to the battle while it’s going on instead of texting in his phone half the time. Anyway, in yet another ‘comeback’ battle for Prez Mafia, the former Proving Grounds grad uses a gang of fiery wordplay, Christian-themed bangers, gritty street talk and rambunctious punches to efficiently score more haymakers and beat back an aggressive and solid, but not as formidable Loso in this 1-rounder from Only The Real Battle League.
Verdict: Prez Mafia (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Prez Mafia – “I could smell this pussy judging me now with some shit to say, big cap, the whole service fanned out, it’s the Christian way!”
Recap: History says John John Da Don should know better. The longtime battle rap vet insinuating before this KOTD bout against Frak, that when it comes to bars ‘jokes’ aren’t as substantive as straight-up lyricism. And while that opinion may have worked at times against his opponent (indeed, based on JJDD’s ‘Jokes vs. lyricism’ stamp beforehand, during the battle Frak would admit to purposely fine-tuning his bars a bit away from usual comedic slants), when you consider that JJDD got his start in the backpack raps and jokes era of Grind Time, one would think that he of all people wouldn’t go there. Nonetheless a dope and highly competitive 3-rounder with plenty of fierce angles, stifling personals, fiendish Jew tropes, witty punches, solid wordplay and righteous darts comes down to (after the two split the first two rounds) to the 3rd round where JJDD unleashed an angle/punch-lit, witty at times, personal-drenched turn that was certainly substantive in its potency. While Frak came with a slightly more versatile round lit with more solid JJDD-isms, some racy political theater, ironic (“We control the King of the Dot, even got a couple of Rosenberg’s hosting too!”) puns and fierce punchlines/personals that altogether proved to be just as meaty as his opponent. Thus, making this one a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: John John Da Don – “You a struggling Jewish rapper, it got to be so few, ‘cuz shining should never be a problem for no jewels!”
Recap: From URL’s Nexus card, going into this battle did Danny Myers (as he suggested in round 1) really think that Klutz belonged in the “lyrical miracle” camp?! Because if the Arkansas battler hasn’t already proven himself to be one of the more substantive emcees in the game, the Bar God just hasn’t been paying attention. But after this 3-rounder Danny (who was pretty solid and competitive throughout this bout) certainly knows what’s up now. Klutz, in both of the opening rounds, exquisitely using a gang of potent set-up/punchlines, fiery schemes, witty barbs, clever wordplay and in a superb 3rd round (after already taking round 1 and edging round 2 with more haymaker-rich tunrs), a systematic, righteous at times and personal-lit session on almost everything related to Danny Myers world to finish off the shutout.
Verdict: Klutz (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Klutz – “Nigga’s say I ain’t believable, but on the resume it’s how you meet the Reaper, plus I know a couple of nigga’s that got shot….they couldn’t believe it either!”
Recap: From Bar You To Death Battle League, a bit of slow start by Tay Roc but a couple of minutes in this 1-rounder the Cave Gang capo gets heated up. And with wide variety of punches laced with graphic mayhem, stinging name flips, fiery wordplay and piercing gun bars, a suprisingly elongated but consistently formidable Roc is able to handily beat back a boisterious, aggressive and sometimes hitting, but mostly pedestrian Mr. Mann.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Nigga just quit, I’m sick as it gets, as soon as he talking slick out his lip, the shit will get split, pistols will lift, I really hope you quick as a bitch, I ain’t missing for shit, I’ll catch Mr. in the midst of the shit!”
Recap: From Bar4Bar Battle League, first off credit to Chess for keeping his poise while so many in the crowd were talking while he rapped (then too, the host should get some points for at least trying to kill the noise). That being said, a pretty close, gritty and dope 1-rounder between the Young God and Casino gets edged by the latter as opposed to Chess’ hardbody round of sizzling (tho some were predictable) name flips and piercing punches, his opponent’s more versatile punch game, which included a boatload of sturdy street talk, righteous darts, mocking personals, hard storytelling bars, solid name flips and fiery punchlines would score him enough haymakers to earn the win.
Verdict: Casino (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Casino – “I don’t spar on the phone because it sound like transactions!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from the Smoke Room Battle League Fonz overcomes a bit of a slow start and some minor hiccups with his flow to deliver enough hardbody punchlines, piercing wordplay and boastful barbs to beat back a gritty, but less consistent and mostly pedestrian effort from opponent MegaDaSavage.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Fonz – “Boy, this shit will get real ugly, I’m talking Poetic Justic, beat the shit out of a Chicago nigga, like Tupac, consider yourself Lucky!”
Recap: Facing off against an opponent in their hometown of San Bernardino, CA, Charlie Clips shows no signs of wear. The Harlem vet using a gang of flashy gun bars, witty personals, stinging punchlines/schemes and some dope off-the-dome lines to beat back Chico, who after a slow and very pedestrian start kept it gritty and came back to make it competitive in the latter half of this 1-rounder from Ward on the Street.
Verdict: Charlie Clips (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Charlie Clips – “Hey Chico, hey Chico, yeah they put you against the G-code, head shot you get a peep hole, inside it look like Peek-o, Digayo, why bro on Cinco de Mayo, I let the heat blow, nurse don’t know Spanish, ‘How he looking Doc?‘, Un piquito!”
Recap: From URL’s “Nexus” card, in a pretty competitive and all-around dope 3-round battle between Jakkboy Maine and Arsonal, the former Goonie gets busy with a gang of wild, sonic-indused punches, spicy/nimble wordplay and boastful barbs. While da Rebel kept it gully with a boatload of witty/mocking personals, fiery anecdotes, piercing street darts and fiendish braggadocio lines. Close all the way through, it’s the slightly more haymaker-rich and condensed Arsonal who takes rounds 1 and 2 for the win before Jakkboy returned the favor in the 3rd to avoid the shutout.
Verdict: Arsonal (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Arsonal – “You are literally the illest nigga in the room and it’s all in your body language!”
Recap: From WeGoHard, consistently lighting up the scoreboard in this 1-rounder with a gang of hardbody punches, fiendish name flips/gun bars, boastful barbs and piercing street darts, even while rapping a couple of minutes or so longer than his opponent, Bedaffi Green scores more than enough quantitative haymakers to get the jump on a gritty and solid, but less consistent and edgy Shotgun Suge.
Verdict: Bedaffi Green (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Bedaffi Green – “The only thing better than a new gun is a used one, I don’t tell my story, I sit back and watch my story on News One!”
Recap: In a battle that was apparently supposed to happen earlier this year, Fonz and Bad Newz were still able to put on a dope and competitive contest for 3 rounds on Bullpen Battle League. Indeed, what with plenty of aggressive darts on both sides, the energy in the room was matched with a plethora of hard-hitting punchlines, rich metaphors, gritty street lines, boastful barbs and wily personals from two battlers who both came to win. However, Newz’s constant stumbling block of overwriting, present in all 3 rounds and fixated on repeated themes, combined with a more condensed Fonz also adding some witty personals, steely wordplay and pretty solid storytelling to mix, allows The Landlord to edge rounds 1 and 2 for the win before a debatable 3rd.
Verdict: Fonz (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Fonz – “You fought a nigga with one eye, you a true bitch, I bet if that nigga had two eyes you wouldn’t do shit!”
Recap: Nu Jerzey Twork makes his debut on KOTD and it’s an impressive one. The former Goonie using a gang of spitfire similes, witty storytelling, boastful barbs, flexing punches and mocking personals to score a 30 on Pass., who while apparently replacing original opponent Thesaurus delivered a solid performance when it came to piercing punches and spicy name flips, overall couldn’t withstand NJT”s more haymaker-rich landscape.
Verdict: Nu Jerzey Twork (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Nu Jerzey Twork – “If you asked me about one Pass [past] battle I wouldn’t know the answer to it!”
Recap: From KOTD, it’s funny sometimes reading battle rap commenters spout their ignorance with comments like “T-Rex is too direct, that’s why he lost”…right, ok . Either way in this style clash between Rex and Chilla Jones, the Dot Mobb leader’s penchant for hard-hitting trap talk, righteous darts, gritty/braggadocio street bars and crafty (tho he did have a few reaches here and there) wordplay are just enough to edge rounds 1 and 3 for the win. The more ‘intricate’ and personal/scheme-rich Jones, while pretty solid throughout, too often (esp. in the decidin round 3) suffering from pedestrian bars and elongated rounds to beat back his opponent.
Verdict: T-Rex (W) 2-1
Favorite line: T-Rex – “When you spitting your raps, just don’t spit when you rap, any disrespect I can’t make these nigga’s relax, they gonna end up getting you clapped, now you out here trending, not on Twitter but on Citizen’s app!”
Recap: From Chrome 23, funny how the majority of a Philly crowd hellbent for hard street bars and gritty punches didn’t seem to have a clue about some of the clever shit Hollow Da Don was kicking throughout battle. Now if only da Don had remembered to bring his A-game. As in a battle (outside of a dope Round 1) vs. Ave that was littered on both sides with way too many streams of lyrical schmrical lines and plenty of heard-it-all-before personals/themes, a bit suprisingly it’s Hollow wh came off more pedestrian. And after the two split (had the more haymaker-lit Ave edging round 1 before thanks in part to a couple of pretty soldi rebuttals, a close round 2 was edged by Hollow) it’s a slightly more consistently hard-hitting and punch-lit Ave who takes round 3 for the win.
Verdict: Ave (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ave – “Listen clear, playing games you’ll find out what it is like a gender reveal!”
Recap: From RBE, Ill Will and Emerson Kennedy put on a dope one for 3 rounds. Each battler with plenty of gritty punchlines, righteous darts, witty/mocking personals and other whathaveyou to keep things close. However, a solid rebuttal/freestyle game employed by Will to go along with his wit, some nice angles and more condensed turns in each rounds as well as a spitfire 2nd by the Yaktown native, allows him to edge the middle round for the win in light of a debatable 1st and 3rd round.
Verdict: Ill Will (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Ill WIll – “You the only nigga that’s Black that wish he was Black!”
Recap: From GOTG, like Drugz back in the day, when you use a one-syllable moniker for your battle rap name that’s popular in the hood, you gotta know that come every battle you’re most likely going to get name flipped to death. That said, making excellent use of a gang of flexible name flips, but also scoring with some wicked set-up/punchlines, head-ringing gun bars, boastful zingers and mocking personals, Chess manages to score enough haymakers during a slightly less time-consuming turn to beat back a pretty solid effort from Dice. Who while delivering a plethora of hard-hitting punches/personals and blistering street darts and Chess-isms to make it close, suffered a bit from one too many pedestrian bars to get the win in this fiery 1-rounder.
Verdict: Chess (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Chess – “Nigga Chess Godly, where you from you get respect hardly, a nigga did somethin’ to you and he slept calmly, a nigga even dream about doing somethin’ to me and he woke up and said sorry!”
Recap: In this 1-rounder from the Hunger Gamez, Boze and Danny Myers both bring plenty of mayhem-lit darts, solid personals and piercing gun bars to keep things interesting. But with an added mix of pedestrian bars from both battlers, despite Boze scoring more haymakers during a longer round time-wise, Danny’s soldi punch game, an incredible amount of (“Nigga, I provide war, this the type of shit I slide for, nigga we going through the side gate, i don’t give a fuck about your garage door!”) spicy rebuttals (there was 5 or 6 of ’em) and a witty freestyle directed at his opponent’s GF in the crowd, allows for a debatable.
Verdict: TIE
Favorite line: Boze – “You’ve been prepping, chasing Lux for 10 years, Smack keep telling its levels in this place, typical Myers, keep taking a stab at it…but you’ll never see the face!”
Recap: Serius Jones versus John John Da Don, a matchup between two battle rap vets that one would’ve thought had taken place already awhile ago considering the longtime allegations of bar thievery (i.e. the notorious ‘All of the Above’ scheme frequented by both), finally takes place for 3 rounds on Chrome 23 thanks to Aye Verb who backed out of battling Serius at the last minute. And let’s just say, what with 3 days prep, JJDD showed levels here. The Bullpen Battle League head honcho delivering a stellar (classic) 1st round that superbly encapsulated rhyme structure as well as variety with its fire personals, potent set-up/punchlines, wit, braggadocio darts and flexing name flips. In round two JJDD would go on another dope run with a gang of fiery schemes, more nasty personals and piercing wordplay. And while Jones kept it competitive in the early rounds with a bunch of hard-hitting punches and less filler than usual, the former Fight Klub champ was still mired in elongated rounds when he wasn’t rapping one too many pedestrian schemes, personals and bars. Round 3 with a bit of a consistent comeuppance by Jones punch-wise and a bit a still pretty solid, but shortened turn by JJDD, ends up as a debatable.
Verdict: John John Da Don (W) 2-1
Favorite line: John John Da Don – “We all had our battle rap beef, it’s not embarrassing, but this is Philly where A.I. crosssed-over, it’s how you carry it!”
Recap: The long-awaited clash between Bigg K and Tay Roc finally went down on KOTD, a neutral battleground of sorts what with K repping RBE and Roc of course coming through for URL. If you saw the face-off between these two the day before, you already knew that the tension was going to be through the roof once they battled. And for the most part it was with plenty of name-calling and in-your-face theatrics from both sides. However, after K’s momentous taking off of his cap in round 2 as well as turning the lights blue in the room (in tribute to RBE’s Blue Room) near the beginning of round 3, the tension died down and the two managed to keep it professional, even hugging it out at the end.
As for the battle itself, it’s Roc who pulls off a Gentleman’s 30, edging all three rounds by staying consistent, showing more variety as well as originality and landing more haymakers in an efficinet manner than his opponent. Nonetheless, this bout was competitive and action-packed throughout. But Roc’s consistent firepower, combining a gang of crazy metaphors, some fly wordplay, graphic mayhem, wicked race angles, stinging personals and brutal gun bars, proved why he has to be favorite to win COTY this year. And while K’s rounds were tight and punch-wise often showed the heart of a true COTY when it came to witty punchlines, hard-hitting street darts, and mocking personals, overall the Dawg leaned a little too heavily on personal themes that have long been used against Roc. That slight overuse cost K some juice (even if it was funny at times). Then too was the irony of Ruc flipping K’s biggest moment–finally letting us see what was under the cap–to his advantage with a couple of fire rebuttals to start off his 2nd round, which coupled with the aforementioned roomshakers, the Gun Title co-prez ended up edging as well.
A strong 3rd by Bigg K with plenty of wicked punches, storied but still spicy personals, braggadocio lines and witty zingers only suffered a bit from some elongated set-ups. Nonetheless, Roc wasn’t having any of it. The Maryland vet venturing into ‘AMG mode’ with a plethora of speedy punches that more than delivered when it came to fire name flips, consistently hitting punchlines, potent wrestling bars and stinging gun bars to earn the shutout.
Verdict: Tay Roc (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Tay Roc – “Everybody with me will flip, I am the URL chaperone on this King of the Dot field trip!”
Recap: Not really on his A-game throughout, but still maintaining enough firepower in his punches, personals and name flips to make a statement, Bigg K is also helped by an aggressive, but mostly pedestrian Coach Corleone on his way to a 30 in this 3-rounder from RBE.
Verdict: Bigg K (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Bigg K – “I wasn’t handed opportunities, i earned every one, you getting the biggest shot of your life like you turned 21!”
Recap: Pretty solid effort from a mayhem-lit and at times punch-spiyc Fat Sayso. But a couple of slow starts and too many pedestrian bars by the Michigan battler in rounds 1 and 2 coupled with B. Magic’s steady-hitting and condensed stream of fire punchlines and stifling name flips gives the St. Louis vet the win before a more punch-lit Sayso salvaged the 3rd to avoid the shutout in this 3-rounder from OSBL.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 2-1
Favorite line: B. Magic – “The Ripper and the Reaper, the Cripper and the Creeper, dope dealer, turn you into a Twitcher and a tweaker!”
Recap: This 1-rounder from OSBL sees The Bear get off to a bit of a slow start. But once he got heated up a steadier stream witty/mocking personals, gritty street/trap talk and piercing punchlines would coalesce to build a formidable turn with enough heat fr T-Top to beat back a street-themed and righteous at times, but mostly pedestrian round from Hoodlife Vito.
Verdict: T-Top (W) 1-0
Favorite line: T-Top – “I’m from the Park, before I slide or swing I use a ladder!”
Recap: From Our Society Battle League, even while battling for only 3 minutes (while his aggressive and gun bar-lit opponent Funeral F.A.M.E. battled for like 8) with less quantitative filler and a boatload of explosive punches/name flips, Shotgun Suge does enough to edge this gritty 1-rounder.
Verdict: Shotgun Suge (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Shotgun Suge – “You too small to pocket check, that make it wack, I’ll take the money out your pocket, put it in your big homey pocket and take it back!”
Recap: From T.O.S Battle League, in a 3-round bout littered with plenty of aggression. solid personals/schemes and braggadocio punches, but also a boatload of cookie-cutter raps and pedestrian bars on both sides. After the two split the first couple of rounds, a more versatile, gritty and slightly more steady hitting Bill Collector manages to hang on and edge the 3rd round for the win over Coach Corleone.
Verdict: Bill Collector (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Bill Collector – “You got RBE boasting you, weird ass Wing coaching you, all these semi-beneficial opportunities appraching you, but you ready to crash out ‘cuz a blogger roasting you?!, take that sweaty-ass hat off and be more sociable!”
Recap: In this 3-rounder from Anybody Can Die Battle League, outside of a couple of stumbles that helped him get edged in round 3, Swamp has an easy time of it. The Swamptown vet using a bunch of cutthroat punchlines, bullish darts, hometown bars and solid name flips to handilt take rounds 1 and 2 for the win over a street rap-lit, but mostly pedestrian Project Prime outta Michigan.
Verdict: Swamp (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Swamp – “Fuck a gun, I don’t think you could withstand a hook or a jab, I think you a bitch, I don’t think you even been in no type of wreck…like Jag!”
Recap: From Anybody Can Die Battle League, put aside that overanimated, annoying white dude standing behind 40 B.A.R.R.S. and First Lady Flamez (who’s normally pretty stoic while her opponent raps) reacting way too much to some of 40’s bars, it’s a close and competitive 3-rounder between two of the women’s top tier battlers. However, outside of a debatable (where 40, who was highly pedestrian throughout this batle, used some spitfire personals to make it a tie) 2nd round, Flamez’ flexing wordplay and overall intricacy, sizzling gun bars and more consistently hitting punches edges her the 1st and 3rd rounds for the win.
Verdict: First Lady Flamez (W) 2-1
Favorite line: First Lady Flamez – “Clap this bitch then dip, bring a new meaning to leaving 40 on a dresser!”
Recap: From Our Society Battle League, despite an elongated round Ryda still dishes enough substantive punches, righteous darts and flexing gun bars in what overall was a versatile turn to take this 1-rounder from an aggressive and sometimes hitting, but mostly pedestrian Zeke.
Verdict: Ryda (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Ryda – ‘Nigga’s say it’s bro’s over hoes, but the hoes is the main thing they catching fades about!”
Recap: From T.O.S. Battle League, not sure about that choice to speed rap some bars near the end of his 3rd round (a round he was edging beforehand, but with that extra middling turn, made for a debatable), but Tru Foe’s steady barrage of gritty street raps, sturdy name flips/gun bars and wily personals/metaphors gets him rounds 1 and 2 for the win in this 3-rounder versus a gutsy performing, but also unforced error-prone when it came flow Reed Dollaz.
Verdict: Tru Foe (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Tru Foe – “Robbed the plug for some punds, exclusive smoke, that was the first time I seen an Eagle in a super bowl!”
Recap: From Hunger Gamez, that “my walkdown crazy, I’m a staircase” line by Cino Savvy was fire. But even with some hot lines every now and again, the Roxboro, NC battler’s lack of steady firepower to his punches coupled with B. Magic’s consistent artistry to his punchlines, wordplay, cadence and schemes gives the St. Louis vet the win in this 1-rounder.
Verdict: B. Magic (W) 1-0
Favorite line: B. Magic – “Who the cleanest?, I told your bitch pursue the penis, she said Magic that Sho’nuff you the meanest!”
Recap: From URL, consistently scoring with a bunch of blistering/witty personals, mean set-ups, sizzling gun bars and stinging punchlines, a slightly more condensed and haymaker-lit Swervoo manages to edge round 1 and 2 of this 3-rounder for the win over O-Red. The Jersey vet, who while pretty solid throughout, especially with the wordplay. mayhem-drenched darts and gritty punchlines, also suffered from elongated rounds and a surprising slip-up in round 3.
Verdict: Swervoo (W) 3-0
Favorite line: Swervoo – “A face shot, morticians gonna have to bring back the nigga, you look cool in a box but can’t move, you an action figure!”
Recap: From RBE, succinct and to the point, there’s nothing that pleases a recapper more than 3-round battles with 2-minute per round time limits. Appreciate it! That said, with plenty of gritty, braggadocious bars to go around on both sides, Rosenberg Raw and Arsonal make for a competitive bout. But despite a more animated and lyrically stunting Ars handily taking round 2, it’s the ever bullish, at times wordplay-crazy, often punch-lit and more consistently hitting Raw who edges rounds 1 and 3 for the win.
Verdict: Rosenberg Raw (W) 2-1
Favorite line: Rosenberg Raw – “I’ll jump in the crowd and punch on fans like I’m Stephen Jackson, you got a problem?, Froze got the Answer, I don’t need no practice!’
Recap: His floetic stylings measured adequately with punch-lit calibrations, while also taking on a gritty, rigid storytelling, performance-heavy at times and versatile synergy that proved consistent and successful in the end, Sheed Happens also takes advantage of a competitive, but less steady punching Swamp to edge this 1-rounder from OSBL.
Verdict: Sheed Happens (W) 1-0
Favorite line: Sheed Happens – “If nobody wants to found victim, think Down Syndrome, everybody face the same way!”
Recap: From URL, oh how these yung’uns think they know everything. A dope 3-rounder between JC and Yunus gets undermined by the DMV up-n-comer standing firm on the idea that his opponent would mention his much-talked-about nonexistant sex life. But wouldn’t be the case here as instead JC relied on his usual m.o. of somber gun bars, meaty set-up/punchlines, rich similes, fire grim reaper bars, festive mayhem and bardbody braggadocio lines in a much more condensed and hitting fashion to earn a Gentleman’s 30. As despite Yunus’ elongated rounds and occasional filler that hurt him in the end, the talented DMV stalwart still garned a ton of respect by making each round close what with his electric cadence, stirring schemes, witty personals and systematic wordplay.
Verdict: JC (W) 3-0
Favorite line: JC – “They just wanna to see somebody they feel promising against the top tier guys, way to go, and he just wanted his name in stone…so ‘Here Lies’!”
